Hello, my name is Karen and I am a middle-aged woman.

Actually, I'm a middle-aged, Canadian woman who writes about, thinks about and talks about all things middle-aged.

Why do I do this?

Well, it started with the clothes. Or lack thereof. Sometime during my early 40's, I began to notice that the offerings in my usual haunts just didn't look right. Waistbands were way too low and why would I want to look ridiculous sporting a top with slashes up the sleeves.

There were other signs that change was afoot. I looked on as women I knew struggled under the burden of simultaneously caring for teenagers and aging parents. I watched as dear friends separated and divorced. And I laughed over coffee with other women while we discussed memory loss, hot flashes and how we couldn't see things close up anymore.

But there were the exciting things too. We wanted new adventures and meaningful experiences. We wanted to stay fit, dress well, learn new things and engage our minds. We wanted people to notice us because we were worth being noticed.

Some would call this stage "middle-age". But far from being in the middle of something, my friends and I feel like we are at the beginning.

You can reach me karen@thebestkeptsecret.ca.

My passion is ...

clothes

I know too much about ...

clothes

My childhood ambition ...

Have ten children and operate an independant bookstore.

Society & Lifestyle > Lifestyles & Subcultures (Other) Mid-life crisis and the changes of viewpoints that come with it

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I had an epiphany while working the tattoo table at my children's schools Welcome Back Barbecue last week.

There I was, leaning awkwardly over a four year old, trying to get a Darth Vader tattoo stuck to his forehead. The darn thing wasn't sticking and the line-up was getting longer and longer. After four full minutes of pressing a sopping sponge to the boys head, only half of Darth was staying put. The other half curled into a nasty little ball.

Now, if I had been like my more accomplished colleagues (a.k.a. The Good Moms), I would have taken the time to coax that little ball back i...

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